Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civils servants are so provided for.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department does not provide an official car or driver for any civil servants.

Roads: Safety

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's strategy is on (a) improving road safety and (b) decreasing motorcycle accident rates relating to drivers' impaired vision.

Jesse Norman: The British Road Safety Statement sets out the Government’s commitment to improve road safety and reduce the number of people killed or injured on the roads every year. All drivers and riders must be able to meet the required visual acuity and visual field standards, which includes being able to read a number plate from 20 metres. Drivers are also legally responsible for notifying the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at any time of a change in their health or vision which may affect their ability to meet the appropriate standards. The government fully supports the NHS’s recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years. The DVLA has changed its driving licence application forms to highlight the importance of having regular eyesight tests. The photocard driving licence renewal letter the DVLA sends to drivers has also been amended to include this important message.

Shipping: Employment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote employment of UK seafarers in the domestic maritime cargo sector.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department has a number of initiatives to promote employment of UK seafarers. Two leading schemes include: the training commitment link in UK Tonnage Tax and SMarT/SMarT Plus maritime training funding. Both of these have helped bolster the number of UK seafarers and will continue to ensure through put of skilled seafarers needed for the sectors future economic success and growth. In our “Maritime 2050: Call for Evidence” we recognised the importance of our people in the maritime workplace, whether at sea or on land. Consequently people is one of the six themes where we have asked respondents to concentrate their views as any long term plans for the UK maritime sector must ensure it has the skilled staff it needs to maintain the UK’s position as a leading maritime nation. We are keen to see more people at all levels entering the industry and enjoying a career in the maritime area. The Government values apprenticeships as a route to obtaining the skills needed for the future workforce. The Department is also leading the Government’s Year of Engineering campaign, which is committed to boosting engineering skills across the UK.

Shipping: Training

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote the training of UK seafarer Ratings to shipping company groups that have qualified for the Tonnage Tax scheme.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department has always encouraged companies in tonnage tax to employ UK Ratings. In 2015, following proposals from industry in 2014, this position was solidified through a change in regulations which explicitly allowed tonnage tax companies to employ and train three Ratings instead of one Officer cadet. It is the responsibility of both Government and industry, as a whole, to promote these opportunities and further advice can be found in the Department’s tonnage tax guidance.

Shipping: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many seafarer Ratings were trained using apprenticeships agreed with the Maritime Trailblazer Working Group in each year since 2015.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The statistics for apprenticeship numbers are published online at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships#apprenticeship-starts-and-achievementsThe number of seafarer ratings trained using apprenticeships is steadily increasing in each year since the able seafarer (deck) apprenticeship was introduced in August 2015 bringing the total number of seafarers trained through this route to 70. The annual breakdown is in the table below:  2015/162016/172017/18 (Q1 &2 only)TotalsAble Seafarer (Deck)0304070 The statistics for the full 2017/18 year have not yet been published so only the first 2 quarters have been included.

Dial-a-Ride: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.14 of his Department's consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, whether the West Lancashire Dial A Ride services will be considered to be substantially less than cost and therefore exempt under EU and UK regulations on PSV.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.14 of his Department's consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, whether the West Lancashire Dial A Ride services will be considered as only operating in non-contestable markets and therefore exempt under EU and UK regulations on PSV.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of his Department's consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, whether the West Lancashire Dial A Ride services will be considered as only incidental to a main, non-transport occupation and therefore exempt under EU and UK regulations on PSV.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, whether the West Lancashire Dial A Ride services will be considered as only as only for short distances and therefore exempt under EU and UK regulations on PSV.

Jesse Norman: There are wide variations between different community transport organisations and the work that they do. This Department cannot advise on whether or not a specific community transport organisation can continue to provide the services it currently operates in reliance on permits instead of an operating licence. I would encourage community transport providers who are unsure about their position to seek independent advice. The Community Transport Association’s Advice Service may be able to help. They are available on: 0345 130 6195, between 10:00 - 16:00, on Monday to Friday. The Department’s consultation on how Regulation 1071/2009 applies to permits under the Transport Act 1985 has now closed and over 500 responses have been received. The Department will analyse the responses fully and provide a summary response before summer recess.

Lakes Railway Line: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of Northern Rail’s performance of running the Lakes line in Cumbria (a) between February and April 2018, (b) the last twelve months and (c) the last two years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Merchant Shipping: Registration

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information on beneficial ownership is requested from shipowners by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency when it receives an application to register a merchant vessel on the UK Ship Register.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency requests beneficiary ownership details, when an application is received to register a merchant vessel on the UK Ship Register, through the requirement of the Bill of Sale, or if the vessel is new build, the New Build Certificate; the Declaration of Eligibility; and the Certificate of Incorporation, to be supplied as part of the registration process.

Merchant Shipping: Registration

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information on beneficial ownership of merchant vessels is collected from Red Ensign Group registers by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Apart from the UK Ship Register, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not collect information on the beneficial ownership of merchant vessels from the other Red Ensign Group registers operated by the Governments of the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Records will be maintained by the individual Governments.

East Midlands Trains

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the apportioning of ticket revenues and cross-subsidy arrangements between Stagecoach companies Megabus and East Midlands Trains for the provision of travel on the East Midlands Trains route.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

East Midlands Trains

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to instruct the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate potentially anti-competitive practices by Stagecoach companies Megabus and East Midlands Trains for the provision of travel on the East Midlands Trains route.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Freedom of Information

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the Freedom of Information Request relating to PEDL 189 submitted by Mr Ben Dean on 21 March 2018.

Claire Perry: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not received a Freedom of Information Request relating to PEDL 189 submitted by Mr Ben Dean on 21 March 2018. The Department understands that Mr Dean has approached the Oil and Gas Authority on this matter and that they will respond to Mr Dean as appropriate.

Solar Power: Housing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many domestic solar panels have been installed in each of the last five years.

Claire Perry: The Central FiTs Register (CFR) contains all of the installations confirmed on the FiTs scheme; from this database domestic solar installations can be identified. The number of new domestic installations per year is set out in the table below. Domestic installations that have not accredited under the FiT scheme are not captured in these figures.Annual PeriodCFR1 Domestic Photovoltaic Installations201389,8222014118,5942015155,459201633,815201716,422 Central Feed-in Tariff Register (CFR) data is provided to BEIS quarterly by Ofgem and details all of the installations currently confirmed on the FiTs scheme. There is a lag in the CFR data compared to the FiTs application data, due to the process for approval onto the scheme. Data for 2017 is provisional.

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the short term project funding model on the diversity of early years researchers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Research Councils monitor and publish annually the diversity data of their applicants which has been extended to include data for successfully appointed students since 2015-16. The data is used to track progress and inform policy. With the creation of UKRI, we recognise there is a real opportunity to build on this data collection and we aim to extend this to include a similar dataset for Innovate UK. UKRI has recently launched the recruitment for establishing an external advisory group and will be developing an equality, diversity and inclusion action plan. The UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers 2008 provides a single, unambiguous statement of the expectations and responsibilities of research funders and institutions with respect to the management of researchers/contract research staff. In accordance with this, diversity and equality must be promoted in all aspects of the recruitment and career management of researchers. Vitae leads on its management and implementation, reporting to the Concordat Strategy Group which includes representatives of all the main UK funders and employers of researchers. The Concordat Strategy Group is currently carrying out a ten-year review of the Concordat. The review will be carried out by an independent expert review panel, with a secretariat provided by UKRI and Innovation. A report will be published in September 2018.

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what employment rights are associated with (a) post-doctoral and (b) project research funding for researchers in the early stage of their careers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Researchers have statutory employment rights as do any other UK employee, irrespective of their career stage. Any other contractual entitlements they may have would vary from employer to employer. PhD students are not necessarily employed by the institution where they are studying.

Renewable Energy

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department provides to people who have had renewable energy systems fitted by businesses fraudulently claiming to be MCS accredited and are therefore unable to receive the grants from Ofgem.

Claire Perry: Certification of the products and the installation by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a key eligibility requirement for two government incentives, the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Feed-in Tariff. The Department works closely with MCS and Consumer Codes operating in this sector to ensure that consumers using an MCS certified contractor for a renewable energy installation are protected. Where an installer fraudulently claims to be MCS certified, the consumer can contact their local trading standards office https://www.gov.uk/find-local-trading-standards-office. Where the Department receives individual correspondence regarding such cases, officials work closely with Ofgem and MCS to ensure best possible outcomes can be achieved for the consumer.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the consultation on proposals for replacement of the feed-in tariff policy framework.

Claire Perry: We are considering options for small-scale low-carbon generation beyond 2019, and a consultation on the Feed-in Tariffs scheme will be published in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Sir Alan Duncan: Our records do not cover training provided over the whole period of the last five years or differentiate between fast stream and main stream civil servants. However, since July 2015, over 1200 civil servants have completed learning on Parliamentary scrutiny and Parliament's legislative role as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Diplomatic Academy's Foundation and Practitioner Levels. Of these, 23 are senior civil servants.In addition, the FCO also runs tailored face-to-face courses on Working with Parliament and on FCO Oral Questions every 5 weeks during the parliamentary session and provides ad hoc one-to-one level learning where requested. FCO and Government staff also access material and attend courses organised by Civil Service Learning, which is a cross-departmental resource and is managed centrally.All fast stream new entrants to the FCO have since last year been required to study for and pass a City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in UK Foreign Policy and Diplomacy, as do some staff to obtain promotion. This diploma includes material on a broad range of the FCO's parliamentary responsibilities.

Sudan: Religious Freedom

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of freedom of religion or belief in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Sudan remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and we are deeply concerned about infringements and restrictions on freedom of religion or belief. We are considering ways that FCO programme funding could help to promote freedom of religion or belief in Sudan. We raised our concerns with the Government as part of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue on 24 April and will continue to do so as part of our ongoing bilateral engagement.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the peace process in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: We welcome the expected resumption of the High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF) talks in South Sudan on 17 May. However, the British Government is disappointed that the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed by all parties in December has not held, and that the HLRF has so far failed to generate serious commitments from the parties to compromise.We strongly condemn ongoing violations of the COHA, and urge the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to take immediate action to ensure that those who undermine the peace process, face consequences for their actions, to leave the parties in no doubt about the region's commitment to peace.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of the peace process in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: We welcome the expected resumption of the High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF) talks in South Sudan on 17 May. However, the British Government is disappointed that the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed by all parties in December last year has not held, and that the HLRF has so far failed to generate serious commitments from the parties to compromise.We strongly condemn ongoing violations of the COHA, and urge the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to take immediate action to ensure that those who violate any agreement, or undermine the peace process, face consequences for their actions, to leave the parties in no doubt about the region's commitment to peace.

Burundi: Peace Negotiations

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to help promote peace in Burundi.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government is deeply concerned by the situation in Burundi. Our non-resident Ambassador and officials hold regular consultations with the Burundi Government; most recently on 8 May with the Burundi Foreign Minister. These discussions cover human rights, the rule of law, and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, including the protection of minority groups. We are also working with UN, EU and African Union partners to support an inclusive, negotiated solution to the political crisis. The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, presently Chair of the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes, visited the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 26 and 27 February and discussed Burundi with regional and international partners, in the context of the Peace Security and Cooperation Framework for the Great Lakes region. In addition, the UK supports projects in Burundi focused on human rights, sexual and gender based violence and security

Bahrain: Elections

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether  he has made representations to the Government of Bahrain on its proposed legislation prohibiting candidates from dissolved societies and organisations running for office in elections; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are closely monitoring this proposed legislation. As with all elections in the region and beyond, we encourage the Government of Bahrain to ensure fair, inclusive and transparent elections.

Turkey: Foreign Relations

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what matters the Government plans to raise with the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, on his visit to the UK in May 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: The visit is an opportunity for the UK and Turkey to discuss our close co-operation on counter-terrorism, migration, regional stability, trade and to raise other issues, including human rights.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to help ensure that elections due to be held in Zimbabwe in 2018 are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has consistently called for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with the country’s constitution. We have engaged regularly with actors from across the political spectrum to discuss how the international community can best support Zimbabwe’s democratisation process. Most recently, our Ambassador in Harare met President Mnangagwa on 5 May and the Foreign Secretary met MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa on 9 May to discuss these points.The UK will participate in the EU Electoral Observation Mission which will be deployed to Zimbabwe to monitor the electoral process. Between 2014 and 2019 we are spending £24 million on civil society support for transparency, accountability, human rights and citizen engagement in Zimbabwe, much of which will help support democratisation. This includes an increase of £5 million announced in February specifically to support election-related work.

Bahrain: Torture

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports of alleged use of torture and forced confessions in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: The Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Bahraini authorities in private and in public and will continue to do so. We encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.We encourage those with concerns about the treatment of prisoners in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.

Companies: Ownership

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement of 1 May 2018, HCWS660, on beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, whether information on merchant shipping beneficially owned in Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies is included in the Exchange of Notes arrangements.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Exchanges of Notes concluded with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies in 2016 provide for the exchange of information on the beneficial ownership of corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions. As ships are assets, and not corporate and legal entities, the beneficial owners of merchant ships registered in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies would not be covered by the Exchanges of Notes, unless the vessels are owned by corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions.

USA: Diplomatic Relations

Kwasi Kwarteng: What recent assessment he has made of the UK’s diplomatic relations with the US.

Boris Johnson: The UK has a special and enduring relationship with the United States based on our long history and commitment to shared values. Last week I saw the Vice President, National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to further strengthen those ties. No two countries will agree on every issue, but the US remains our No. 1 friend, ally and partner.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Matt Rodda: What recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on foreign policy co-operation after the UK has left the EU.

Boris Johnson: On leaving the EU, the UK will pursue an independent foreign policy, but we would be open to co-operating closely, where this is in our shared interest. We are currently in discussions with the EU on our future security partnership, and we continue to discuss this with our counterparts across Europe. The UK has also published online our vision for the future external security relationship.

India: Diplomatic Relations

Mr Philip Dunne: What recent assessment he has made of the UK's diplomatic relations with India.

Mark Field: The UK’s relations with India remain excellent, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Modi’s hugely successful visit in UK. We share a longstanding and deep friendship with India, and a ‘living bridge’ connecting our people. To be frank, I am keen we focus less on legacy and nostalgia and more on the future relationship between our two countries, including the new UK-India Tech Partnership, as I saw on my visit to New Delhi and Hyderabad only last week.

Hezbollah: Weapons

Chris Davies: What recent assessment he has made of trends in the size of Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned by reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in Lebanon. We condemn the threat this poses to regional stability and that this is done in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by her Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I can advise that the Northern Ireland Office has offered apprenticeships at Levels three and four.During 2015/16, one apprentice started at Level 3.During 2016/17, no apprentices started.During 2017/18, three apprentices started - two at Level 3 and one at Level 4.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 13996 on Security: Northern Ireland, on what dates the Police Service of Northern Ireland met with (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department to discuss the security implications of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

Karen Bradley: I would refer the hon Member to my previous answer of 8 May 2018. The PSNI have been, and will continue to be, fully engaged in ongoing constructive meetings with representatives from both the Northern Ireland Office and other Whitehall departments on a wide range of matters, including the security implications of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

City Deals: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timescale is for the Belfast and Londonderry city deals to become fully operational.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government has set out several public commitments, including in the Budget and in the Confidence and Supply Agreement, to work towards a ‘comprehensive and ambitious’ set of City Deals across Northern Ireland. Negotiations have been opened for a Belfast City Regions deal; however, a timetable has not been set to deliver a City Deal for Belfast or for Londonderry. A timetable cannot be agreed until proposals are completed and submitted to Government. Officials from across Whitehall and the Northern Ireland Civil Service have been engaging with partners on their proposals.

Customs Officers: Northern Ireland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, of 9 May 2018, Official Report, column 664, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the proportion of additional customs officials who will be based in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: I have regular conversations with the Home Secretary on a range of issues. I reiterate the Government’s clear commitment to there being no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls at the border. The Border Force recruitment campaign will largely replace individual recruitment rounds to specific roles. It will meet a range of business needs, including meeting the normal staff turnover associated with a large operational business such as Border Force.

Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department runs three training courses on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the United Kingdom Parliament: legislation, Parliamentary accountability and select committees. Further information on registrations for these courses is in the following table. Name of ModuleDate introducedNumber of SessionsNumber of RegistrationsLegislationMarch 201514240Parliamentary AccountabilityFebruary 201516265Select CommitteesMarch 20167117 Note: These courses are open to civil servants at all grades, including fast streamers, as well as staff in our arm’s length bodies. Therefore the total number of registrations will include non-civil servants as well as civil servants. These courses have been running since February 2015. Information on organisation and grade of attendee is collected in our feedback forms. However, not all attendees return feedback forms and this data is not an accurate representation of the grades of people who attended. Between November 2017 and January 2018 the Department also ran three workshops on secondary legislation for staff with statutory instruments due to be laid. 16 civil servants attended these workshops; information on grade was not collected.

Postnatal Depression

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support General Practitioners provide to mothers experiencing perinatal mental health problems.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are committed to improving mental health support for expectant and new mothers. General practitioners have a crucial role in identifying and treating perinatal mental illness. Support provided includes pre-conception counselling, monitoring during pregnancy, and referring women to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and specialist mental health services if necessary. We are expanding IAPT to reach 1.5 million people by 2020/21, and are investing £365 million in specialist perinatal mental health services so that 30,000 more women are able to access the right care at the right time, close to home, by 2020/21.

Drugs: Innovation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS England rapidly adopts innovative medicines.

Steve Brine: The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy set out a vision of being a world-leader in developing and bringing to market innovative medicines to improve patient outcomes. It highlighted the importance of evolving and simplifying the access system for new medicines by implementing, and building on, the findings of the Accelerated Access Review. The response to the Accelerated Access Review, published last year, set out a series of actions the Government and the National Health Service are taking to increase the rate of adoption of innovative products. We have brought together the key Government, NHS and industry partners through the newly formed Accelerated Access Collaborative, who will oversee the Accelerated Access Pathway, to streamline regulatory and market access decisions, getting breakthrough products that we believe will be truly transformative to patients more quickly. The response also committed to £86 million of support, including £39 million to improve local adoption and uptake of innovative medical technologies through a greater role for the Academic Health and Science Networks and £6 million to help the NHS to adopt and integrate new technologies into everyday practice, through the Pathway Transformation Fund. These build on our existing schemes to encourage quicker patient access such as the Early Access to Medicine Scheme and the Innovation Technology Tariff. Additionally, the Innovation Scorecard tracks the uptake of cost-effective new medicines approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral statement of 2 May 2018, Official Report, column 315, on Breast Cancer Screening, how many women have been affected by the NHS breast screening programme failure in (a) Newcastle Gateshead clinical commissioning group and (b) South Tyneside clinical commissioning group.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women in (a) Wansbeck Constituency, (b) Northumberland County and (c) the North East who might have been affected by the breast cancer screening error.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of women affected by the National Health Service breast screening programme failure will be published by the end of May.

Visual Impairment: Depressive Illnesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people registered as blind have been diagnosed with depression.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of people who are registered as blind or severely sight impaired with a diagnosis of depression is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that children and young people have access to appropriate mental health treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have made an additional £1.4 billion available over the course of 2015/16 - 2020/21 to transform services and ensure access to specialist mental health services for an additional 70,000 children and young people a year by 2020/21. We have also introduced two waiting time standards for children and young people. The first is for 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases (and four weeks for routine cases). The second is for 50% of patients (of all ages) experiencing a first episode of psychosis to receive treatment within two weeks of referral. We are currently exceeding or on track to meet these waiting time standards. The recent Green Paper, ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, published by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, announced the creation of new Mental Health Support Teams. These teams will deliver mental health interventions for those with mild to moderate needs in or close to schools and colleges (and refer those with more severe needs on to specialist services). The Green Paper also announced the piloting of a four week waiting time to improve access to National Health Service mental health services, which we will roll out in a number of trailblazer areas alongside the support teams. The Green Paper is supported by an additional £300 million. We will also ensure that at least one teacher in every primary and secondary school will receive mental health awareness training to enable school staff to spot common signs of mental health issues, and to help children and young people receive appropriate support.

Autism

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in waiting times for Autism Spectrum Disorder assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has made no recent assessment of the trends in waiting times for autism spectrum disorder assessments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that the time from a referral to a first appointment is no longer than three months. The latest available data for the country as a whole is available in Public Health England’s report, ‘Autism Self-Assessment Exercise 2016 Detailed report and thematic analyses’ (published June 2017). The report states that 33 local authorities (22%) reported already meeting the NICE recommended waiting times, 35 (23%) anticipated meeting NICE recommended waiting times by March 2017 and to be able to sustain this thereafter and 66 (43%) did not anticipate being able to reach NICE recommended waiting times sustainably by March 2017. 18 local authorities did not respond to the relevant question. Collection of national waiting times data from referral to a first appointment and on to a diagnosis if one is given, began in April this year. Results will be published in due course.

Suicide: Males

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department have taken to tackle male suicide rates.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England was updated in 2017 to strengthen delivery in a range of key areas for action including targeting high risk groups such as men. The updated strategy is supported by £25 million of investment over the next three years. Every area is implementing a multi-agency suicide prevention plan to ensure that all local services are working together to implement tailored approaches to reducing suicides in their communities. We acknowledge that men may not engage as easily with services and increasingly, evidence indicates that men feel more comfortable accessing support and services in non-clinical settings. This has led to a wide range of innovative responses to provide support to men in community environments they find accessible and relevant including, for example, the Men’s Sheds Movement, Andy’s Man Clubs and State of Mind Sport. We are encouraged that the number of male suicides in England has reduced for the second consecutive year and the overall suicide rate is at its lowest since 2010, but there is much more we must do to ensure that everyone at risk of suicide has the help and support they need.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Mary Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have died whilst under the care of inpatient children and adolescent mental health services since January 2013.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since January 2013, the National Health Service has reported 17 deaths of patients under the care of inpatient children and young people’s mental health services. Following the written statement to Parliament by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health and Innovation (Nicola Blackwood) on 20 January 2017 (HCWS 427), all deaths of patients under the care of inpatient children and young people’s mental health services are reported to Ministers and the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness which will include the figures in its annual reports. Patient safety is a key priority for this Government and we published Learning from Deaths guidance to the NHS in 2017 to improve the way the NHS investigates and learns from deaths to prevent future tragedies. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also announced a zero suicide ambition for mental health inpatients in January this year, which is supported by £25 million of investment, so that every mental health provider of NHS services has a zero suicide policy in place.

Norovirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ward closures in each of the last five years were due to novovirus outbreaks.

Stephen Barclay: The following table shows the number of suspected and laboratory confirmed norovirus outbreaks and ward/bay closures in hospitals reported to Public Health England from 2013-16. YearTotal number of norovirus outbreaksNumber of laboratory confirmed norovirus outbreaksNumber of ward/bay closures*2016573433547201566243661720146894596422013881593810 *Note: Not all outbreaks result in whole ward closures; some closures are restricted to bays only. The data on ward and bay closures are not available separately.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether clinical commissioning group areas that are subject to the capped expenditure process will continue to be so subject in the event that are merged with another clinical commissioning group.

Stephen Barclay: The Capped Expenditure Process was run as an extension to the 2017/18 planning process aimed at those places that were otherwise unable to live within their means. It was therefore limited to the 2017/18 financial year and so is now in effect concluded. For the 2018/19 planning process it is still essential that all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) do their utmost to submit a plan to live within their means, and to repay any cumulative historical overspends. Where CCGs are merging as of 1 April 2018 the same rules will apply to the merged entity as applied to the individual entities prior to the merger.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships: South East

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that progress is made on the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership's move to integrated care systems; and what the timetable is for that move.

Stephen Barclay: All sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) are at different stages with many not yet ready to apply to become integrated care systems (ICS). Although the requirements for ICS are recognised, and Sussex and East Surrey STP is working on all the desired characteristics in 2018/19, the STP is currently focusing on the key areas of improving system financial and service delivery performance in 2018/19 before making any decision about whether or not to apply to become an ICS. There is no defined timescale for this as it is a voluntary decision for each STP depending on their own circumstances.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to facilitate the use of private clinics to carry out mammograms as a result of the failures in the breast cancer screening process for women aged 68 to 71.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) mammographers and (b) radiologists his Department plans to recruited to provide the additional capacity required for the breast screening programme as a result of the failures of the breast cancer screening programme.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment (a) his Department, (b) Public Health England and (c) other organisations made of the timetable to clear the backlog in the screening programme as a resulted of the failure of the breast cancer screening programme.

Steve Brine: NHS England is taking major steps to put in place additional capacity of screening services to respond to the breast screening incident working with existing staff, including over evenings and weekends, and advise that they are also working closely with all local services and commissioners to ensure that they can co-ordinate any extra screening required across the programme. In addition, NHS England is confident that all areas of the country will have the capacity to absorb any increase in demand on diagnostic services for those women who require follow up tests. Private capacity will only be used if necessary and where it meets national standards. The Department, Public Health England and NHS England are working closely to ensure timelines agreed are met as a result of the failure of the breast cancer screening programme. All women affected who wish to have a breast screen will receive an appointment to take place before the end of October 2018, but the vast majority will be seen sooner.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to oral statement of 2 May 2018, Official Report, column 315, on Breast Cancer Screening, what steps his Department are taking to ensure that the additional screenings offered to women affected by the failure will not affect the (a) speed and (b) quality of the provision of screening to women aged between 50 and 70 years of age.

Steve Brine: Any additional capacity being provided in response to this incident is being delivered in addition to existing capacity. The screening service for women aged 50-70 will continue to be delivered in the usual way.

Ambulance Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the performance criteria are against which 999 ambulance call handlers are assessed.

Stephen Barclay: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 April 2018 to Question 135015.

Dental Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the regional distribution of dental gum disease specialists is.

Steve Brine: This information is not held centrally.

Nurses

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which his Department plans to respond to the Second Report of the Health and Social Care Committee,  Nursing Workforce, HC353, published on 29 January 2018.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is considering carefully the important issues raised in the Second Report of the Health and Social Care Committee, Nursing Workforce HC353 and plans to publish its response in the coming weeks.

Pre-school Education: Mental Health

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he his taking to increase the number of mental health specialists working in early years settings.

Jackie Doyle-Price: It is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to decide on how local mental health provision should be made, based on local need and circumstances. CCGs are required to work with other local services to produce local transformation plans (LTPs), now included in sustainability and transformation plans, which set out how children and young people’s mental health services will be delivered locally, including in early years. We are making available an additional £1.4 billion to support them in this. NHS England’s report, ‘Children and young people’s mental health Local Transformation Plans – a summary of key themes’, estimated that almost 90% of LTPs referenced having early years programmes in place. The report is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/08/cyp-mh-ltp.pdf

Wales Office

Wales Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Alun Cairns: All civil servants have access to central learning provided through Civil Service Learning which covers Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. In addition, the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Business and Legislation Team, and Government Legal Department also provide training on Parliamentary bills. My Department supports this by providing training and guidance to civil servants on how the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament interact with the Welsh devolution settlement.

Wales Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civil servants are so provided for.

Stuart Andrew: No Wales Office civil servants have been provided with an official car.

Wales Office: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Stuart Andrew: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay. This information can be found on the Office of the Secretary for Wales’s website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-wales&publication_type=corporate-reportsInformation for future years will be published in the usual way.

Wales Office: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Stuart Andrew: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is committed to providing apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of posts within the Department. We offer both level 3 and level 4 apprenticeships, and the number of starts for each level for the last three years is set out below: YearStarts at level 3Starts at level 4201531201611201722

Department for Education

Department for Education: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: All civil servants have access to the central learning offer provided through Civil Service Learning (CSL). There are one-day workshops on understanding Parliament, which are delivered at Foundation and Practitioner levels, which both cover Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. Dedicated training sessions covering specific topics are also available including introductions to Parliament, select committees, debates and voting, pre and post legislative scrutiny, Parliamentary questions, delegated legislation, and primary legislation. A half-day workshop is available on producing effective Explanatory Memoranda to accompany secondary legislation. The Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary Business and Legislation Team provide training to Bill Teams. The Government Legal Department and Parliamentary Counsel run a course on ‘Dealing with Parliamentary Bills for Lawyers’, which covers parliamentary stages and handling. Bespoke sessions for government departments are also available on request. There is an e-learning course on understanding Parliament, and access to two massive open online courses. These have been produced in partnership between the House of Commons and Future Learn, which is a digital education platform owned by the Open University. The only course we have a data for is staff who have accessed e-learning training on ‘Parliamentary Processes’: Started but yet not completedCompletedTotal2018201333201755651202016231639Total9894192 Fast Stream civil servants receive a Parliament workshop during their induction, covering the role of Parliament in scrutinising government policy. For policy professionals, a Fast Stream Base Camp includes an optional workshop which focuses on the legislative process in both houses, typical timetables and roles of Ministers, Bill Teams and civil servants in delivering legislation. For senior civil servants, a tailored a one-day workshop, ‘Leading in Parliament’, is available, which covers Parliament’s role, powers and relationship with government, and the day-to-day work of Members. A workshop delivered jointly between CSL and HM Treasury is provided for Accounting Officers. CSL provides a workshop specifically for Senior Responsible Officers with responsibility for secondary legislation. Every department has an Senior Civil Service Parliamentary Champion. There is a buddy system in place between Parliamentary Champions and senior House staff. We also provide learning opportunities as follows: The Policy Academy event: ‘Law and Policy: when and how to use legislation’ session, which includes secondary legislation and Explanatory Memoranda for Statutory Instruments. This is delivered four times a year with enough places for 100 G7 staff per year.‘Introduction to Policy Making’ event that is aimed at people new to policy making and policy delivery.The Parliamentary team also deliver training on parliamentary accountability and Handling Statutory Instruments.

Apprentices: Jarrow

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships available in the Jarrow constituency.

Anne Milton: We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and encourage employers to increase the number of apprenticeships they offer. This includes moving to new apprenticeship standards, designed by employers themselves, to give apprentices the skills, knowledge and behaviours that businesses need. Over 250 standards have already been approved, with nearly 300 more in development. The apprenticeship levy and wider funding changes are designed to encourage employers to invest in apprenticeships and improve the skills of their workforce. To help employers to take advantage of the changes and increase the number of apprenticeships they offer, levy payers can now transfer 10 per cent of their levy to other employers, and we have released an additional £68 million to fund apprenticeships among smaller employers. In the Jarrow constituency, there were 1,250 apprenticeships starts in 2016/17; and there have been 3,470 starts since May 2015.

Schools: Buildings

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding sources are available for schools with derelict or dilapidated buildings.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 11 May 2018



The Government has committed to invest over £23 billion in the school estate between 2016-17 and 2020-21. Since 2015, the Government has invested £5.6 billion to maintain and improve school facilities. In addition, the £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme is rebuilding or refurbishing those buildings in the very worst condition across the country. All schools receive a direct payment of devolved formula capital funding. In addition, the Department allocates condition funding to the bodies responsible for school buildings through the following routes: Local authorities and larger multi academy trusts (MATs), with at least five schools and 3000 pupils, receive School Condition Allocations to invest in the schools for which they are responsible. This funding is calculated formulaically and takes account of the condition of schools. For voluntary aided (VA) schools, the relevant local authority facilitates a local discussion at which organisations representing the VA schools – most commonly the relevant diocese – agree how the funding should be invested.

Headteachers: Costs

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to his Department was of headteacher boards in 2017-18; and what estimate he has made of the potential cost of those boards in each year up to 2023.

Nick Gibb: The compensation paid to elected, co-opted and appointed members of the eight English Headteacher Boards (HTBs) was £472,530 for 2017/18. For 2018/19 that cost is expected to be approximately £450,000. The Department has not yet profiled the budget for years beyond 2018/19. The schools/trusts of each HTB member are paid £500 per day when head teachers attend HTB meetings, plus in some cases, £250 for half-day reading/prep time. If HTB members are not serving head teachers, this money is paid directly to them.

Academies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total value was of related party transactions made by academies and academy trusts in (a) the year ending 31 August 2016 and (b)  each of the previous five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 139972 on Disabled Students' Allowances,  what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of funding the £200 contribution made by students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance for the purchase of computer hardware in each year up to 2023.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department has no plans to change the requirement for the £200 contribution to the cost of computer equipment and has made no assessment of the potential cost of doing so. Computers are a mainstream cost for all students and it is right therefore that students eligible for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) should contribute towards the cost of their DSAs-recommended computer equipment.

Open University: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received on the effect of changes to higher education funding on the Open University.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Open University (OU) plays an important role in the higher education sector. Department for Education officials have met with senior staff from the OU and I am due to meet with both its interim and immediate former vice chancellors.The government and the Office for Students (OfS) monitor the financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England. The OfS monitors the financial sustainability of individual providers in receipt of public funding, including the OU.The independent panel supporting the review of post-18 education and funding recently concluded a call for evidence process which invited all interested parties to submit evidence to inform its work.The government has provided £48 million to support teaching in 2017 to 2018 at the OU, including funds to support part-time students.

Social Services: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report Crumbling Futures published by the Children's Society in March 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that 16 and 17-year-olds referred to children’s services are receiving adequate support as they transition into adulthood.

Nadhim Zahawi: We welcome the findings in the Children’s Society ‘Crumbling Futures’ report and agree that this is a difficult and important transition. The government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable children are ready for adult life and is taking action to ensure that services protect and support children. We recognise the importance of avoiding ‘cliff edges’ in support for the most vulnerable children and the offer of support from local authorities now extends to all care leavers up to 25. ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ makes it clear that when children on Child Protection Plans reach 18, local authorities should consider whether support services are still required. As a priority, we are taking forward a review of the educational outcomes of Children in Need. This review and call for evidence, which was launched on 16 March 2018, is looking at the quality of support provided to all Children in Need including 16 and 17 year olds. We will consider the full range of views we receive in response to the call for evidence, including any around transition to adult services.  We are delivering a major programme of reform to improve the support provided to Children in Need. As set out in ‘Putting Children First’ (2016), we are working to improve the quality of the workforce, develop and spread innovative practice, and improve the quality of local authority children’s services. We are also using the Department for Education’s Social Care Innovation Programme to trial programmes to improve the quality of support for adolescents, including assessing how early help and contextual safeguarding can help protect them from the specific threats they face. A key finding of ‘Crumbling Futures’ is that the mental health needs of children and young people appear to be one of the main issues affecting older adolescents as they progress into adulthood. The new Mental Health Support Teams proposed in the government’s Mental Health green paper will provide significant support to 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges. The Department for Education will also test how the teams can support vulnerable 16 to 18 year olds and other young people not in school or college, such as those in apprenticeships and other work-based learning. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care is setting up a new national strategic partnership with key stakeholders focused on improving the mental health of 16 to 25 year olds by encouraging more coordinated action, experimentation and robust evaluation.

16-18 Mathematics Education Review

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations of the Smith Review of post-16 mathematics since its publication on 20 July 2017.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to increasing participation in level 3 mathematics to ensure the future workforce is skilled, competitive and productive. Since 2004, entries to A level mathematics have risen by 83% (84,226 in 2017). It is now the most popular A level and taken by 23.8% of students taking academic qualifications. There are currently over 250 students attending the two open mathematics schools sponsored by King’s College London and Exeter University along with Exeter College. The Department has already implemented a number of the recommendations made by the Smith Review. A funding incentive has been introduced to help schools and colleges increase participation in post-16 academic mathematics qualifications. The advanced maths premium will provide up to £600 per additional student studying academic level 3 mathematics qualifications. The Department has reduced the requirements for an additional payment that supports those 16 to 19 year olds who are undertaking a greater number of subjects post 16. The changes aim to provide a further financial incentive for promoting the further mathematics A level. Students will now need to achieve a grade C rather than a grade B in their further mathematics A level for their school or college to receive this additional payment The Government continues to fund centrally delivered professional development programmes for core maths, AS/A levels mathematics and further mathematics. A new Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), worth £16 million over two years, started on the 1 May. The Department is also working with the Royal Society’s Advisory Committee on Maths Education to embed occupation-specific maths within the technical qualification component of each of the new T levels.

Pre-school Education: Living Wage

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the national living wage on the financial viability of early years providers.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government will be investing £1 billion a year to increase our hourly funding rates for the free entitlements and deliver 30 hours of free childcare. These funding rates are based on our ‘Review of Childcare Costs’, which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. This looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector, including the National Living Wage. We continue to monitor delivery costs of our early years entitlements and have commissioned new research to provide us with robust and detailed cost data from a representative sample of early years providers.

Young People: Employment

Priti Patel: What steps his Department is taking to support more pathways from education into employment for young people.

Anne Milton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 May 2018.The correct answer should have been:

We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes that will set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T level programmes to skilled employment for young people.High quality apprenticeships offer an excellent means of progression for many young people leaving education, giving them the skills valued by employers.T levels are classroom based, level 3 study programmes and will provide a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels. A substantial, high-quality industry placement will be an essential part of each T level giving students the chance to put into practice the technical skills they have learned in the classroom.Training and qualifications within the technical education routes are being designed and developed by employers - so that students can be confident they are getting the skills that employers need.The reformed technical routes will ensure we unlock all the talents of young people across the country, no matter where they come from, and support them into strong, rewarding jobs and careers. We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes to set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T levels to skilled employment for young people.We are working with employers to design the content for T levels, which will provide in future a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels.But apprenticeships must be of high quality. I am pleased that the move from the old frameworks to the new standards has seen the proportion of these apprenticeships in the number of all starts grow from 3% to 36% since last year.Traineeships for those most distant from the labour market are yielding good results. With two thirds progessing to positive destinations and reporting high levels of satifaction (82%). With 84% saying it helped them gain the skills they need.

Anne Milton: We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes that will set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T level programmes to skilled employment for young people.High quality apprenticeships offer an excellent means of progression for many young people leaving education, giving them the skills valued by employers.T levels are classroom based, level 3 study programmes and will provide a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels. A substantial, high-quality industry placement will be an essential part of each T level giving students the chance to put into practice the technical skills they have learned in the classroom.Training and qualifications within the technical education routes are being designed and developed by employers - so that students can be confident they are getting the skills that employers need.The reformed technical routes will ensure we unlock all the talents of young people across the country, no matter where they come from, and support them into strong, rewarding jobs and careers. We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes to set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T levels to skilled employment for young people.We are working with employers to design the content for T levels, which will provide in future a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels.But apprenticeships must be of high quality. I am pleased that the move from the old frameworks to the new standards has seen the proportion of these apprenticeships in the number of all starts grow from 3% to 36% since last year.Traineeships for those most distant from the labour market are yielding good results. With two thirds progessing to positive destinations and reporting high levels of satifaction (82%). With 84% saying it helped them gain the skills they need.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry Of Justice: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: a) All Civil Servants Civil Service Learning provide a range of central learning opportunities, including online and face-to-face training, for all civil servants on Devolution & Intergovernmental Working. i) The online Devolution & Intergovernmental Working module is for all new and existing civil servants, launched in November 2016. Through four online tutorials, video interviews with senior civil servants, and ‘take back to the office’ activities, it explains how the different governments operating in the UK work together, covering devolution settlements, decentralisation, City Deals and intergovernmental relations, as well as the ‘Devolution Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements’. 646 civil servants have engaged with the online training since it’s release:StartedCompletedTotal Engagements201867 346 413 201753 171 224 20162 7 9 Total122 524 646  ii) The half day face-to-face Devolution & Intergovernmental Working workshop is also available to all civil servants. Building on the above online module, delegates learn from experienced professionals who have worked on a range of devolution matters about topics such as confidentiality, when to seek legal advice and the boundaries of devolution, where reserved and devolved powers meet. A total of 28 policy professionals have undertaken this training through two workshops, since June 2017.Both the online and face-to-face workshops are included in the recommended learning for all civil servants working in a role related to EU exit. The online learning is included in the new EU Essentials for Policy Professionals programme, for those new to policy making or the civil service; and the face-to-face workshop is included in the EU Policy Practitioner Programme for those with more policy experience. These programmes were launched in April 2018, with a total of 56 policy professionals undertaking the training programmes so far. iii) Also available to civil servants are the EU exit: devolution settlements and intergovernmental working events. Delegates hear the views of Permanent Secretaries, and other senior civil servants from the devolved administrations and territorial offices, on intergovernmental relations within the current political climate.Seven of these events have been delivered to 96 attendees across three Departments, since March 2017. b) Fast StreamIntroduced in 2017 as part of Fast Stream policy learning, delegates take part in a Devolution workshop, which all brand new entrant centrally managed Fast Streamers attend as part of their Induction offer. This was delivered in 2017 to over 800 Fast Streamers. We've also delivered four optional Devolution workshops as part of Fast Stream Policy Base Camp to 150 year 3/4 centrally managed Fast Streamers over the last two years.Fast Streamers are also required to complete the online 'Devolution and Intergovernmental Working' e-learning product as mandatory e-learning within their first year on the Fast Stream programme. c) SCSEach nation of the UK leads and hosts an annual SCS conference to learn from each other and build networks across the Policy Profession. These have been held on 28/29 April 2016 in Cardiff, 20/21 April 2017 in Belfast (this included Irish Government Civil Servants too) and 26/27 April 2018 in Edinburgh. It will be for England to host in 2019. All of these events each have around 100 participants across the administrations. The Devolution and You programDevolution and You was established in 2015 following a Civil Service Board commission and promotes greater understanding of devolution among civil servants and for better intergovernmental working across the different administrations in the UK. The program is led by Cabinet Office in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. It aims to build devolution awareness and civil servant networks across the One Civil Service through shared learning and knowledge exchange throughout the year.The Devolution and You programme enables civil servants to strengthen their skill sets and build open and positive relationships as they engage in complex discussions across the One Civil Service. In 2017 the program trained over 2000 civil servants from across the UK through a variety of forums, including Civil Service Learning resources and through bespoke training; Local inductions for new startersDepartmental masterclasses, including tailored sessions for specialised teams such as communications, private office, policy and legislationCivil Service Live presentationsCivil Service Local Devolution MasterclassesResource material available to civil servants across the One Civil Service We also work in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to run the One Civil Service Interchange program which supports these objectives by providing a platform on which civil servants can engage directly with their peers working in other UK administrations, through an immersive programme of work-shadowing and educational events over the course of a week. The programme runs three times a year, with the UK, Welsh, and Scottish Governments each hosting an annual event. Since 2017, the Northern Ireland Civil Service has also participated in the programme by providing participants to the events.The most recent iteration of the UK Government Interchange Week ran 5-9 March 2018 and, with a record number of applications, it was the largest Interchange Week to date. In total, 83 Civil Servants from the Scottish (43) and Welsh (18) Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive (22) participated in a series of whole-group sessions and individual work shadowing across nineteen UK Government departments.Welsh Government Interchange week will take place 2-6 July 2018. There are a range of workshops and digital courses that give specific training to the Ministry of Justice in the understanding of the scrutiny and legislative role of the UK parliament. Data on the number of civil servants that have attended these courses is not available for each of the last 5 years for all training. Due to a change of provider, data is only available for the last 2 years for digital learning and the last 5 years for workshops, as shown in table 1.  Table 1 – Number of workshops and digital courses attended by Ministry of Justice staff, 2013 to 20172013Learning methodFast StreamersSenior Civil ServantAll StaffWorkshops520972014Learning methodFast StreamersSenior Civil ServantAll StaffWorkshops6602772015Learning methodFast StreamersSenior Civil ServantAll StaffWorkshops4601752016Learning methodFast StreamersSenior Civil ServantAll StaffDigital Learningunknown4757Workshops00802017Learning methodFast StreamersSenior Civil ServantAll StaffDigital Learningunknown11219Note: All staff including fast streamers and Senior Civil Servants.

Attorney General: Registered Intermediaries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent from the public purse on Registered Intermediaries in each of the last four years.

Lucy Frazer: The Department does not hold the information requested. The Ministry of Justice manages the overall Witness Intermediary Scheme, with the payment of Registered Intermediaries coming from police forces, the CPS and courts as the end-users of their services.

Educational Testing Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many decisions since February 2014 to curtail a person's leave to remain in the UK on the ground of cheating in an English language test administered by ETS have been overturned on appeal.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many decisions since February 2014 to curtail a person's leave to remain in the UK on the ground of cheating in an English language test administered by ETS are subject to appeal.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Treasury

Air Passenger Duty

Steve Double: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of air passenger duty on levels of tourism in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.

Robert Jenrick: International treaties ensure that there is no taxation of international aviation fuel, and the Government does not levy VAT on flights. Air Passenger Duty (APD) ensures the aviation sector contributes its fair share to general taxation. The Government has not conducted an assessment of the effect of APD on tourism in England, Scotland and Wales. However, even at the current rates of APD, UK airports have enjoyed strong passenger growth: exceeding 15% in the previous five years. The government is seeking views on the effects of APD and VAT on tourism in Northern Ireland. Respondents to the call for evidence can submit evidence on the wider impacts of APD upon UK tourism by 5 June 2018.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Fees and Charges

Bill Wiggin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to prevent Royal Bank of Scotland from charging additional fees to companies employing politically exposed persons.

John Glen: Decisions on fees and charges are a commercial matter for firms. However, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires firms to treat their customers fairly, and has broad and robust powers to enforce breaches of its rules. The latest Money Laundering Regulations are clear that firms must apply a risk-sensitive approach to identifying politically exposed persons (PEPs) and then applying enhanced due diligence (EDD) measures appropriately. This extends to assessing the circumstances in which the beneficial owner of a company is a PEP. The FCA has published guidance on how firms should identify and apply EDD measures to PEPs. This makes clear that UK PEPs should be treated as a low risk of money laundering, unless an FCA-regulated firm assesses that other risk factors not linked to their position as a PEP mean they pose a higher risk.

Instalment Credit

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the protections under the payday loan cap to the (a) rent-to-own and (b) home credit markets.

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure customers are protected from being pushed into problem debt by (a) rent-to-own and (b) home credit products.

John Glen: The Government is committed to protecting consumers from unfair lending practises. To this end, the Government has given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) strong powers, including the power to cap the cost of credit, and it will do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The FCA is conducting a review of the high-cost credit market, including rent-to-own and doorstep lending, and will publish an update later this month. The Government will continue to work closely with the FCA to ensure that all customers are treated fairly. As well as supporting consumers through better regulation, the Government is also supporting consumers to make effective financial decisions, through the creation of a Single Financial Guidance Body (SFGB). The SFGB will have a statutory duty to improve the public’s financial capability.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what opportunities his Department has identified for the financial services sector after the UK leaves the EU.

John Glen: The UK will have the opportunity to set its own trade policy in financial services when it leaves the European Union. For the first time in 40 years, we will be able to negotiate, ratify and sign trade deals with old friends and new allies. The government is working with stakeholders to identify the opportunities that this presents, and is committed to strengthening the UK’s already world leading positions in the markets of the future, such as in FinTech, green finance and rupee or renminbi products. The government is engaged with industry on this through the Financial Services Trade and Investment Board, which works to boost the competitive position of UK financial services.

Financial Services: EU Countries

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK financial services institutions have a presence in other EU countries.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) maintain a Financial Services Register, a record of firms, individuals and other bodies that are, or have been, regulated by the UK’s financial services regulators, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and/or FCA. The register can be accessed at the following address: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/financial-services-register Furthermore, the European Central Bank (ECB) maintains a list of financial services institutions operating in the EU at the following address: http://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/financial_corporations/list_of_financial_institutions/html/index.en.html

Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what elements of his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU will not be completed by March 2019.

John Glen: The government is committed to ensuring that the UK is ready for all possible outcomes on exit day– and HM Treasury plays its part to achieve this goal: The Chancellor announced £3bn across 18/19 and 19/20 in the Autumn Budget and confirmed individual departments’ allocations in the 2018 Spring Statement to ensure that departments are funded to prepare effectively for a range of exit scenarios; HM Treasury continues with detailed preparations for all scenarios; in particular for financial services and customs to ensure there are functioning regimes in place on the day the UK leaves the EU; The Treasury takes an active role in supporting the negotiation process, in particular on the UK’s economic and financial relationship with the EU.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the structures that the Government will need to put in place to prepare for new rules affecting UK financial services during the transition period of exiting the EU.

John Glen: The UK and EU negotiating teams have agreed the terms of a time-limited Implementation Period. While the UK will no longer be a member state of the European Union, market access will continue on its current terms during the Implementation Period. To give businesses and citizens certainty, common rules will remain in place until the end of the period. This means businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now up until the end of 2020. Once the UK becomes a third country, we will withdraw from the institutions of the EU. As a non-member state, we have been clear that the UK will no longer have the same role in the decision-making of the EU. However, it is clearly in the interests of both sides that the UK continues to work closely together on matters that concern the UK, as set out in the agreement.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the confidence of the UK financial services sector in (a) London, (b) the rest of England and (c) Wales of no agreement being reached between the UK and the EU on the UK leaving the EU.

John Glen: Financial services firms across the UK can have confidence that the government is committed to leaving the EU in a way that underpins prosperity and avoids unnecessary disruption and dangerous cliff edges for businesses across the UK.We are making significant progress and this has been well-received by industry. Since December, we have reached agreement with the EU on an implementation period, we have agreed a technical dialogue on cliff edge risks to be led by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank and the Chancellor has set out a clear vision for our future relationship with the EU on financial services.These measures have been well-received by industry in the UK. We continue to work closely with businesses located throughout the United Kingdom to ensure that they are prepared for a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137634, on Children: Day Care, whether support costs will be included as part of the £6bn spend on childcare in 2020.

Elizabeth Truss: By 2019-20 we will be spending a record £6 billion on childcare support. The IT and call centre costs referred to in my answer to question 137634 are not included within this figure.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137634, on 137634, what was the total amount his Department planned to spend on support costs for policies related to childcare and early education in the financial year 2017-18.

Elizabeth Truss: The Childcare Service is an integrated digital service through which parents can apply for Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare in a single application. As the costs of one application can be associated with both policies, there is not a clear distinction between the operating costs of each. In 2017-18, HMRC met just under £29 million of the total costs, and DfE £8 million.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 10 March 2018, Official Report, column 978, what compensation he proposes be provided to the small business customers of Royal Bank of Scotland who were subject to inappropriate behaviour by that company.

John Glen: In November 2016 the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) established a complaints process for small and medium-sized enterprises in their Global Restructuring Group (GRG) between 2008-2013, overseen by an independent third party, and took the decision to automatically refund complex fees paid by relevant customers to GRG during that period. RBS have set aside £400m for this scheme. Following a meeting with the Chief Executive of RBS I received a letter on 9 May stating that RBS have also committed to setting up an independent appeal process for consequential loss claims under the redress scheme.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

*No heading*

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make representations to the freeholders of Heysmoor Heights, Liverpool on the funding the fire safety measures required after the Grenfell Tower tragedy as a result of the decision by the owners of Cityscape to fund their fire safety measures; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



Building owners should do all they can to protect leaseholders from costs arising from fire safety works in buildings clad with potentially unsafe aluminium composite material cladding – either funding it themselves or looking at alternative routes such as insurance claims, warranties or legal action. This could include working with the developer to reach a solution which avoids costs being passed to leaseholders. In the case of Citiscape, the decision to cover costs was made by the original developer, not the current owner. I have also arranged to speak with the agent of Heysmoor Heights’ freeholder regarding the costs of remediation.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce new protections for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the revised National Planning Policy Framework.

Dominic Raab: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that the Government attaches great importance to the protection of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). There are no new protections for AONBs in the revised NPPF as great weight should already be given to conserving their landscape and scenic beauty within the existing framework.

Letter Boxes: Standards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that letter boxes confirm with European Standard EN 13724.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the physical effect on postal workers of properties with low level letterboxes.

Dominic Raab: The Department has no current assessment on how level letter boxes effect postal workers. The statutory guidance which supports the Building Regulations references industry technical guidance which in turn refers to a British and European standard (BS EN 134724: 2013). This standard recommends a range for letter box apertures to be within a height range of 700 millimetres up to 1700 millimetres.The statutory guidance which support Building Regulations references the Door and Hardware Federation’s technical specification TS 008: 2012, which in turn refers to a British and European standard relating to letter boxes: BS EN 134724: 2013.

Affordable Housing: Young People

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 137953 on Affordable Housing: Young People, if he will publish the Government's definition of affordable housing.

Dominic Raab: The Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 supports the delivery of a wide range of affordable homes to rent or buy. Housing associations and local authorities can bid into the programme to provide homes for social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership, rent to buy, and specialist affordable homes for vulnerable, older people and people with disabilities.Providers will only qualify for funding if their bids meet the requirements for affordable homes as set out in Homes England’s capital funding guide. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/capital-funding-guide

Leasehold

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new homes were sold on a leasehold basis in each of the last five years.

Dominic Raab: This information is available in HM Land Registry's Price Paid Data: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/price-paid-dataHouse of Commons Library analysis of the data is available here: http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8047/CBP08047---Tables-for-download.xlsx. See Table 6 for trends in the proportion of properties sold that were leasehold.

Land Use

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) nature and (b) cause of the technical issue relating to the extraction of the underlying data was which caused the delay of the publication of Land Use Change statistics 2016 to 2017 from 24 January 2018 to 31 May 2018.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 14 May 2018



The Department will publish Land Use Change Statistics for 2016-17 on 31 May.To produce these statistics, the Department obtains data produced by the Ordnance Survey. Over the course of this year, the Ordnance Survey has been making technical improvements to the processes it uses to capture up-to-date and robust information on land use change – these improvements are to ensure that the methodology continues to detect real world changes in land use during 2016-17 as accurately as possible and not changes in land use that are due to other regular Ordnance Survey data updates. These technical improvements meant that the methodology used to produce the final land use change figures also required updating, to ensure that the figures for 2016-17 are consistent with past figures and for this reason the release will be published later this month.

Building Regulations and Fire Safety Independent Review

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to report on progress in implementing the recommendations of the Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 14 May 2018



Dame Judith Hackitt's review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety final report is expected to be published in late Spring 2018. The Government will respond to its findings in due course.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 138439 on local government finance, and with reference to Questions 245 to 259 of the evidence given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury Committee on 25 April 2015, how his Department defines the term at risk with reference to local authority funding.

Rishi Sunak: We consider a wide range of information around individual local authorities in order to form judgements about the scale of challenge they may face.Local authorities that we judge in the near future that may not be able to continue to deliver a consistent quality of service across a range of priorities due to financial pressures or any other reason are considered to be at risk.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 138440, on Local Government Finance, what processes his Department has in place to provide assurance on the sustainability of individual local authorities.

Rishi Sunak: We have processes in place to provide assurance around the sustainability of individual local authorities as set out in the Accounting Officer system statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dclg-accounting-officer-system-statementAssurance advice is provided to the Accounting Officer every 6 months that sets out how the accountability framework is performing. This advice is informed by an on going programme of work, to assess sustainability risks, both at a sector and individual authority level.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 01 May 2018 to Question 138441, on Local Government Finance, what the timetable is for the review into the relative needs and resources of local authorities in England to be completed.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is conducting a review of relative needs and resources which will establish new baseline funding levels for local authorities in England. We are working towards implementation in 2020/21, while keeping this date under review as our work progresses. This offers the best opportunity to achieve a thorough, evidence-based review, developed in collaboration with local government.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 01 May 2018 to Question 138441, on Local Government Finance, what drivers of local authorities’ costs have been identified by his Department and local government representatives.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is conducting a review of the relative needs and resources of local authorities in England, with a view to setting fresh baseline funding levels in 2020-21. We are working closely with local government representatives to consider the contributory factors of local authorities’ costs, the relative resources available to them to fund local services, and how we should account for these in a way that draws a more transparent and understandable link between local circumstances and resource allocations.In December 2017 we published a consultation on relative needs which proposed cost contributory factors that could potentially be included in a future funding formula. The consultation was an important opportunity for all local authorities to tell us about the factors which contribute to costs for the services they deliver on a day to day basis and there was broad agreement from many respondents around the cost contributory factors identified. Many of the responses received also suggested additional cost contributory factors which will now be subject to further consideration as we progress this review. The Government’s aim is to publish a formal response to the consultation later this year.The December 2017 consultation is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-funding-review-a-review-of-relative-needs-and-resources

Sleeping Rough

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 May 2018, HCWS671, how many of the c.1000 rough sleepers that the pilots will support will be in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) West Midlands.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Following the announcement of the Housing First Pilot Regions allocations on 9 May, MHCLG will work with the respective regions to finalise the expected number of people who will benefit from this important scheme, which invests £28 million of public money into helping some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Local Government: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what requirements there are for local authorities to measure small business access to local authority procurement.

Rishi Sunak: There is no requirement on local authorities to measure small business access to local authority procurement. As independent contracting authorities, local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions. While authorities are subject to the requirements of legislation and should have regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, I would strongly encourage councils to consider how the can use their procurement activity to support the local economy and small businesses.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Food

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2018 to Question 131423, what progress he has made on reviewing his Department's policy of redistributing surplus ration packs to the homeless.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence continues to review its storage and disposal policy for Operational Ration Packs.

Saudi Arabia: Air Force

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force personnel were seconded to serve in Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years; and what the roles and responsibilities have been of those personnel.

Guto Bebb: The number of RAF personnel on secondment in Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years is: YearRAF personnel2013292014362015342016302017262018 (up to 11 May)21 These personnel were all seconded to BAE Systems to provide training support to Royal Saudi Air Force aircrew and routine aircraft engineering support.

Saudi Arabia: Civil Servants

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of UK civil servants operating in Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has funded only one civil servant post in Saudi Arabia for which the cost has fallen to the public purse. For financial years 2013-14 to 2017-18 inclusive, the pay band for the civil servant ranged from £18,554 to a maximum of £20,987.

Saudi Arabia: Air Force

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role Royal Air Force personnel play in respect of Saudi Tornado IDS fighter-bombers in Saudi Arabia.

Guto Bebb: Royal Air Force instructors on secondment to BAE Systems provide training support to Saudi Tornado IDS aircrew.

Saudi Arabia: Military Alliances

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the UK’s ongoing military commitments are with the Saudi Government.

Gavin Williamson: The UK Ministry of Defence supports the Saudi Government across a wide range of Defence and Security-related issues in pursuit of mutual security and regional stability. In March this year the Prime Minister launched a new Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia, which will see us develop our cooperation in areas such as military capacity-building, cyber security, countering terrorism and violent extremism, aviation security and assisting in the transformation of the Saudi Ministry of Defense.

Saudi Arabia: BAE Systems

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the Al Yamamah memorandum of agreement between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Guto Bebb: The arrangements within the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in February 1986, which continue to govern the supply of military equipment and support to the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, are confidential to the two Governments. I am therefore withholding the document as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another State.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries which are in a state of war UK armed forces personnel are serving as support staff.

Mark Lancaster: The only countries currently in a state of war are the Republic of Korea and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea, albeit, the Korean Armistice Agreement, signed on July 27 1953, did bring about a cessation of conflict on the peninsula. A number of UK Armed Forces personnel are currently serving in the Republic of Korea, both within the Defence Staff in the British Embassy and filling staff officer posts within United Nations Command Korea.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the 2005 Al Salam agreement between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Guto Bebb: The arrangements within the Understanding Document signed by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2005, that included the proposed supply of Typhoon aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force, are confidential to the two Governments. I am therefore withholding the document as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another State.

Saudi Arabia: Military Alliances

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the 2017 Military and Security Cooperation Agreement between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Gavin Williamson: The Military and Security Cooperation Agreement is a bilateral agreement between the UK Ministry of Defence and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the detailed content of which is not disclosable to third parties. I am therefore withholding the document as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another State.In pursuit of mutual security and regional stability, the Agreement will help Saudi Arabia better protect her national security, in areas such as counter-terrorism, intelligence, training and education, medical services and logistics.

Saudi Arabia: Armed Forces

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the procedure is for UK military personnel working on his Department's contracts in Saudi Arabia to report violations of international humanitarian law.

Guto Bebb: Military personnel, wherever they are serving, would be expected to report any concerns about possible violations of international humanitarian law through submissions to their chain of command.

Submarines

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 140023, on Submarines, what the cost has been to the public purse of storing submarines awaiting recycling at (a) Rosyth and (b) Devonport in each of the last five years.

Guto Bebb: The costs of storing and maintaining submarines awaiting recycling at Rosyth and Devonport in each of the last five years, for which figures are available, are detailed below: Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Total (£ million)3.93.41.02.20.9

Ministry of Defence: Ministers

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 136906, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the spouse of a Minister who has financial interests divests themselves of those interests upon the Minister taking office in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In accordance with the Ministerial Code, on appointment to each new office, Ministers must provide their Departmental Permanent Secretary with a full list in writing of all interests which might be thought to give rise to a conflict. This list also includes interests of the Minister's spouse or partner and close family which might be thought to give rise to a conflict. All Ministerial interest returns are reviewed by the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests. Where appropriate the Minister will meet the Permanent Secretary and the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests to agree action on the handling of interests.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents excluding trivial incidents involving the nuclear weapons convoys between Coulport and Berkshire there have been in each of the last ten years which were classified as (a) engineering incidents to nuclear convoy vehicles and (b) operational incidents.

Guto Bebb: The transportation of Defence Nuclear Material, including warheads, is carried out to the highest standard in accordance with stringent safety regulations. We record every incident and occurrence during a convoy, which could consist of over 20 vehicles, regardless of how minor. This may, for example, include very minor occurrences such as a vibration in the wing-mirror glass of a vehicle. The list below comprises largely unscheduled stops to make minor maintenance checks on the vehicles - none posed any risk to the public.  Defence Nuclear Material Movements 2008 -2017 EngineeringOperational2008932009242010131201110220121932013552014662015642016172120172024

Army: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people (a) applied to join and (b) were recruited into the British Army between January and March 2018.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested will be published as Official Statistics. The next release of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics will be on Thursday 17 May 2018, and will be available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018

Clyde Naval Base: Submarines

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear safety events have occured on submarines docked at Faslane in each year since 2006 by (a) class of submarine and (b) type of incident.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many leaks of radioactive coolant there have been from submarines berthed at Faslane in each of the last ten years.

Guto Bebb: The information requested will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member when this has been completed.

Veterans: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the provision for reintegration into civilian life is for armed forces personnel who leave the forces in need of help for post traumatic stress.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 March 2018 to Question 133430 to the hon. Member for Telford (Lucy Allan).



Armed Forces Mental Health Services
(Word Document, 26.12 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of universal credit claimants in employment who have restarted their claim having been paid twice during a single assessment period.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, over the last year around 21,000 UC Full Service claims have been closed because the household’s earnings exceeded the threshold. Of these, around 12% have made a re-claim within a month. We do not know how many of these will have had two paydays in one assessment period.

Children: Maintenance

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of parents who did not report income increases of 25 per cent or more to Child Maintenance Services in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015, (d) 2016 and (e) 2017.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not made any estimate of the number of parents who do not report increases of 25% or more to their income to Child Maintenance Services. Such changes, where not reported, will be picked up from income data obtained by HMRC at annual review. Where a parent is required to report a change in income but does not, then this change can be backdated to when it occurred.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the compatibility of the operation of universal credit with the earning patterns of claimants who are not paid once a month.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will introduce greater flexibility to the monthly assessment period for universal credit to allow people not paid a regular wage each month a more stable income.

Alok Sharma: Our internal evidence suggests that around 70% of people in employment on low incomes are paid monthly or 4 weekly. The monthly assessment period is therefore crucial to creating and maintaining the strong work incentives at the heart of Universal Credit by mirroring the world of work. An assessment period of less than a month would not work for those paid monthly. In contrast, an assessment period of a month means the system can adjust to weekly, fortnightly, or four-weekly payments. However, we are aware that some claimants paid four-weekly, fortnightly, weekly or on a fixed day every month, may receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit assessment period. This may reduce, or in some cases, nil the Universal Credit award the claimant receives that month. We have produced guidance to help ensure claimants, staff and representatives are aware of this and the guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments-payment-cycles. Furthermore the Government is working with employers to ensure that they use the most appropriate payment practices and comply with Real Time Information guidelines in order to minimise these instances.

Children: Maintenance

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents have been prosecuted for failing to report increases in their income to the Child Maintenance Service or Child Support Agency in each of the last three years.

Kit Malthouse: There have been no prosecutions undertaken in the last three years due solely to parents failing to report “increases in their income”. Prosecutions would be undertaken by CMG for under-declaration of income under the Fraud Act or 14(A)2 of the Child Support Act. These prosecutions focus on wilful non-disclosure of income streams and rarely relate to a single failure to disclose in-year increases. We will have prosecuted people with an element of non-disclosures (of increases to income) but these non-disclosures will only represent a small part of the overall prosecution on each case. Therefore we cannot separate increases to income as a single prosecution type. We complete Annual reviews using HMRC data and where we identify backdated increases to income, we will reassess the historical assessment and raise any arrears, taking steps to collect. If the paying parent then fails to pay these arrears we can register the liability in court and take enforcement action to secure the debt, including – in some cases – enforcement including imprisonment. These actions however, relate to the debt (and failure to pay), and not the “increase in income”.

State Retirement Pensions: Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency who have been affected by the changes in state pension age have (a) lodged a complaint with and (b) had that complaint reviewed by the Independent Case Examiner’s office.

Kit Malthouse: As of 8 May, the Independent Case Examiner's Office had (a) received 13 complaints from women in Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency concerning change to the State Pension age: (b) and is yet to review any of the complaints that had been accepted for examination from this group of complainants.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the time taken by the Independent Case Examiners Office to (a) allocate a case manager, (b) investigate a case for women affected by changes to the state pension age.

Kit Malthouse: To date it has taken the Independent Case Examiner's Office an average (a) of 39 weeks to allocate complaints concerning changes to State Pension age to an investigation case manager; and (b) 9 weeks to complete investigations in to this group of complaints (against a target of 20 weeks).

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether letters of support from Members of Parliament (a) are considered for and (b) have an effect on decisions on a claimant's (i) mandatory reconsideration and (ii) tribunal appeal for (A) employment support allowance and (B) personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: At mandatory reconsideration all evidence that had been considered at the initial decision stage is reviewed and, crucially, the claimant is prompted to provide any further evidence that the initial decision maker had not considered. If a claimant remains dissatisfied with the decision on their claim following mandatory reconsideration and proceeds to appeal, all previously submitted evidence will be reviewed, as will any evidence that is subsequently submitted and passed on to the Department. It is important to note that decisions on benefit entitlement are made in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions and the decision maker’s consideration of the available evidence. A letter of support from a Member of Parliament would be considered on its own merits alongside any other available evidence.

State Retirement Pensions: Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the economic effect of changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Guy Opperman: Successive governments have not done a constituency specific assessment of the economic effect of changes to the State Pension age for women born in any individual constituency. Therefore this process is not proposed for the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Bereavement Allowance: Cohabitation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to extend Bereavement Support Payment to people who were cohabiting but were not married or in a civil partnership; and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Bereavement Benefits are contributory benefits and it is a founding principle of the contributory benefits system that rights derived from another person’s contributions should be based on the concept of legal marriage or civil partnership.

Personal Independence Payment

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on implementing the changes to the 2017 Personal Independence Payment Regulations advised by the High Court in December 2017.

Sarah Newton: On the 19th January, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that she would not appeal the High Court judgment regarding part of the 2017 amending regulations relating to eligibility to the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment. The Secretary of State also confirmed that the Department will implement the law on the mobility component, as set out in the MH Upper Tribunal judgment. The Department is now working at pace to make the necessary guidance changes, in order to implement the MH judgment safely and effectively. For information on the indicative timescales for this, I refer the Hon. Member to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that the Secretary of State has laid in the House Library (Deposit reference: DEP2018-0345).

Carers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of carers; what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing the level of carer’s allowance to the existing level of contributions-based jobseeker’s allowance for people aged 25 and over; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing the carer premium by the current difference between carer’s allowance and contributions-based jobseeker’s allowance for people aged 25 and over.

Sarah Newton: The level of Carer’s Allowance (CA) is protected by uprating it annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Since 2010 the rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, meaning an additional £550 a year for carers. In 2022/23 the Government is forecast to spend £3.7 billion on CA, a 36% real terms increase in expenditure on 2016/17. Additionally, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits according to their circumstances. There are carer “premiums” in income-related benefits, such as Income Support, Housing Benefit and Universal Credit. These amounts recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and mean that lower-income carers can receive more than others who receive these benefits. For example, in 2017, 6 out of ten households on Universal Credit with a Carer Entitlement recorded received a Monthly Award Amount of over £400: this is in addition to any CA they may receive. According to the Family Resources Survey (2016/17), there were an estimated 5.4 million informal carers in the United Kingdom in 2016/17. Only some of these receive Carer’s Allowance. DWP can provide a broad illustrative gross cost of paying an extra £8.50 a week (the current difference between the rate of CA and the Jobseeker’s Allowance over 25 rate) to 810,000 CA recipients (rounded down CA in-payment cases in Great Britain, August 2017). This would have cost in the region of £360m in 2018/19. (Around 9% of this expenditure covers carers living in Scotland where CA will shortly be devolved to the Scottish Government.) Actual costs will also be affected by possible behavioural impacts, such as whether the higher rates of benefit will encourage more people to claim CA and, therefore, may be higher than the indicative forecast costs. The information requested on premiums is not available.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) has dealt with in the last twelve months for which data are available; in what proportion of those cases has a member of staff in the FIU been tasked with identifying assets and income of those alleged to be hiding such income or assets from the Child Maintenance Service; and how many such cases are outstanding as of 1 May 2018.

Kit Malthouse: The Child Maintenance Service can confirm for the period of April 2017 to March 2018 the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU) received 5746 referrals; during the same period FIU staff have undertaken 3802 investigations relating to total Income/Assets investigations. Our current Work on Hand figure as of 1 May 2018 is 2872 many of which will relate to total Income/Asset Investigations.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is that PIP appeals take to reach a hearing.

Sarah Newton: The specific information requested for the average length of time for PIP appeals to reach a hearing is not collated centrally. Statistics on the lengths of time for the combination of Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance appeals to be cleared are provided in Table T.3 of the quarterly bulletin “Tribunals and gender recognition certificate statistics quarterly – October to December 2017”. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2017

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount of back payments was made for successful PIP appeals for each of the last twelve months for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether claimants of employment support allowance (ESA) judged by a tribunal to be eligible to be in the support group after the expiry of their 365 days of contribution-based ESA, become eligible for indefinite contributions-based ESA.

Sarah Newton: People in the Support Group who are claiming Contributions based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will not have their benefit time limited. Anyone who meets the criteria for Contributions based ESA, who appeals the outcome of their Work Capability Assessment, and is subsequently placed in the Support Group, will not be subject to a 365 day restriction. The decision of the tribunal applies back to the date of our original decision, hence any payments they are found to be entitled to will be awarded from that date.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nitrogen Oxides: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated by (a) Government (b) the EU to Natural England for the implementation of  Shared Nitrogen Action Plans; what annual spend was of Natural England for that work; and how many employees of National England have been located to the delivery of that work.

George Eustice: The development of Shared Nitrogen Action Plans (SNAPs) as an approach for Natura 2000 sites at risk from excess nitrogen deposition was proposed in the Atmospheric Nitrogen Theme Plan under the EU LIFE funded IPENS (Improvement Programme for England’s Natura 2000 Sites) programme. The total EU contribution to the IPENS programme – which looked at all the major pressures on Natura 2000 sites - was €1,785,388. This included around £45,000 for evidence projects associated with the nitrogen theme plan, but it is not possible to distinguish the amount of funding for staff time in developing the SNAPs concept itself. The SNAPs approach is still at a pilot stage and some initial pilot work led by Natural England (NE) started in 2016. Although each SNAP does not necessarily need to be led by NE, over the next two years we expect NE area team staff to be involved in investigating the approach in at least eight areas where nitrogen emissions from different types of source are affecting Natura 2000 sites. This pilot work is being overseen by two NE senior specialists in air quality and supported by staff in each of the relevant area teams. By overall reduction in risk at the site level, declines in background reactive nitrogen concentrations through implementation of the Government’s approaches to meet targets under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive will contribute to SNAPs. So too will localised reductions in emissions, including those funded through Rural Development Programme for England schemes to reduce ammonia emissions from agriculture, as well as advice on efficient use of nitrogen and ammonia reduction measures through catchment sensitive farming (CSF). CSF is in the process of appointing 11 additional members of staff to work on aspects of ammonia reductions from farming, and to build capability in this area that will also contribute to meeting objectives under SNAPs. The pilot work is funded by Government under NE’s Grant in Aid allocation, but it is not readily possible to determine the specific time spent by our area teams on this aspect of NE’s site protection work at these Natura 2000 sites. EU LIFE funding is involved in a few of the sites, though again the SNAPs element is usually only one of a range of activities being funded at the site in this way.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to amend the pollution inventory reporting guidance sent to incinerator operators.

George Eustice: The Environment Agency plans to issue updated pollution inventory reporting guidance to incinerator operators before the end of 2018. The updated guidance will apply to the reporting returns for 2018 which operators need to submit during January or February 2019.

Trees: Conservation

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of disease on trees.

George Eustice: Tree health risks are systematically assessed through the publically available UK Plant Risk Register (approximately one third of the nearly 1000 pests and diseases on the register are forestry pests and diseases), risks are reviewed monthly and prioritised for actions such as surveillance. Forestry Commission carry out aerial and ground based surveillance on priority risks to tree health, including Phytophthora ramorum, oak processionary moth, ash dieback and the results are published on the Forestry Commission website.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Defra uses Civil Service Learning and local delivery for the provision of learning and development. Defra provides a range of learning on devolution and intergovernmental relations for all levels of staff. This includes online learning, face to face workshops, and bespoke sessions designed for specific requirements of Defra staff. The learning includes sessions for new and existing staff, senior civil servants, fast stream civil servants, civil servants registered in talent schemes, civil servants working on legislation, and those working closely with Ministers. Since April 2017, Defra has facilitated or delivered 20 devolution seminars to over 1,200 of its staff who have the most engagement with counterparts in the devolved administrations. We do not hold information on the numbers of Defra staff who attended devolution training held before 2017.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

George Eustice: The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so.

Agriculture: Waste Disposal

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a grant to encourage farmers with slurry tanks to erect more effective safety railings around those tanks.

George Eustice: The Government does not currently provide funding for safety rails around slurry tanks in England. However, we keep the focus of our Rural Development Programme schemes under review. If we were to introduce a scheme for slurry management under the programme in future we would consider what it should fund.All UK administrations have their own EU funded Rural Development Programmes. Any funding for slurry tank safety rails in Northern Ireland through this means would be a matter for the Northern Ireland programme.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a deposit return scheme for aluminium cans.

George Eustice: From 2 October to 20 November 2017, an independent working group set up under the Litter Strategy for England held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included metal drinks containers that are sold sealed and used for the sale of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, often for consumption ‘on the go’. It involved seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes. Early this year, Ministers received and reviewed the working group’s report summarising its call for evidence and recommendations. This can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/drinks-containers-reducing-litter-and-increasing-recycling-call-for-evidence. The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme in England, subject to a consultation later this year. The consultation will look at the details of how such a scheme would work, alongside other measures to increase recycling rates.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Defra uses Civil Service Learning (CSL) for the provision of learning and development to our people. The management information data provided by CSL to Defra does not differentiate between generalists and fast stream civil servants and therefore we are not able to provide specific attendance data for CSL courses for fast streamers. The CSL managed learning offer changed in late 2016 / early 2017 and the department only has management information data for learning products accessed via the new managed offer. CSL’s ‘EU exit and new UK partnerships’ course is a face to face workshop for all grades. CSL released this course in early 2018 and one pilot session has been delivered. No Defra general, fast stream or SCS civil servants attended the pilot course.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many responses were received to his Department's call for evidence on voluntary and economic incentives to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling which closed on 20 November 2017.

George Eustice: The call for evidence on voluntary and economic incentives to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling was held by the independent Voluntary and Economic Incentives Working Group. The Working Group’s report summarising responses to its call for evidence and including its expert views has been published on the GOV.UK website. Annex B of this report states that there were 276 responses to the call for evidence. It also includes a breakdown of the number of responses by organisation and a list of respondents.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to seek to end cosmetic animal testing throughout the world.

George Eustice: Defra has no specific policy responsibility for international efforts to end cosmetic testing on animals. The Home Office regulate the use of animals in science in the UK. The Office for Life Sciences has shared the UK’s own experience of introducing a ban on cosmetics testing on animals with other countries, including, most recently, China.

Home Office

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a seasonal agricultural workers scheme once the UK has left the EU.

Caroline Nokes: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to the Honourable Member for Dundee West on 5 July UIN 1283.

Social Media: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor and regulate dating sites to prevent the  exploitation of under-age people.

Victoria Atkins: Children using adult dating sites face serious risk from those who are seeking to exploit them, and anyone using these platforms to communicate sexually with someone under the age of 16 is committing a crime.As set out in the Internet Safety Strategy, the Government would like to work with adult dating companies to review processes and procedures, and to develop new protective messaging to help their user community prevent young people being put at unnecessary risk, and to ensure they remain in line with the law. We will consider whether there is a stronger role for companies to act to protect young people, including by terminating accounts belonging to young people.

EU Immigration: Horn of Africa

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of progress made under the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative to tackle irregular migration from the Horn of Africa.

Caroline Nokes: The Khartoum Process has made good progress to address people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa. The UK chaired two thematic meetings in 2016 and 2017 and Egypt hosted a trilateral meeting (Khartoum/Rabat Processes and Horn of Africa Initiative) in November 2017 to understand progress to date; ongoing challenges and the solutions needed for a joined-up and concerted response.The Khartoum Process has approved 147 programmes under its Better Migration Management (BMM) programme in this area and it also continues to implement the Regional Operation Centre of Khartoum (ROCK) which aims to improve cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement agencies to effectively disrupt the people smuggling and trafficking rings exploiting migrants.The 2018 Italian Chairmanship will build upon these efforts with further thematic and training workshops alongside a review of thematic conclusions to ensure tangible future delivery. There will also be a Joint Senior Officials Meeting in November to assess the progress made under the Joint Valletta Action Plan.

Human Trafficking: Scotland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle human trafficking in Scotland.

Victoria Atkins: The tackling of human trafficking is a devolved matter and the Scottish Government works closely with Police Scotland, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Procurator Fiscal Service and other key partners to address this crime and support victims. This includes co-ordination with the Home Office and UK-wide bodies including Border Force and Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.The Scottish Parliament passed legislation in 2015 entitled “Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act” to tackle human trafficking in Scotland. Since then, a range of work has taken place to implement the Scottish Government’s Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy, focussing on three action areas: identifying and supporting victims, identifying and disrupting perpetrators, and addressing the conditions that foster trafficking and exploitation. The Scottish Government will soon publish the first annual progress report on implementation of the Strategy.

Knives: Crime

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to reduce knife crime in Hampshire.

Victoria Atkins: On 9 April 2018, the Government published the Serious Violence Strategy that set out action being taken to address serious violence and in particular the recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide. This also includes the national knife crime media campaign, #knifefree, to raise awareness of the consequences of knife crime among young people and to encourage them to take up positive activities.We will continue to encourage police forces in England and Wales to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. In February this year, Hampshire Police participated in Operation Sceptre, which includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, the use of surrender bins and educational activities. We also announced up to £1million for a new round of the anti-knife crime Community Fund which will invite bids for funding later this Spring from community groups to tackle knife crime in their area.

Domestic Violence: Homicide

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of men who were killed by their current or former partner in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office Homicide Index holds information on the relationship between homicide victims and suspects, including partner/ex-partner.The Office for National Statistics publishes such information and the latest statistics on the number of men aged 16 and over killed by a partner/ex-partner in England and Wales were published in Homicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2017, in Appendix Table 9, available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/appendixtableshomicideinenglandandwales

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many DNA profiles have been removed from the national DNA database since 2014.

Mr Nick Hurd: Between 1st April 2014 and 31st March 2018 845,267 DNA profiles from individuals and 22,321 crime scene DNA profiles have been deleted from the National DNA Database.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many DNA profiles of prisoners still serving a sentence have not yet been added to the DNA database.

Mr Nick Hurd: It has been standard practice for the police to take DNA profiles from all persons arrested for a recordable offence for many years. If the person is then convicted, their DNA profile is retained indefinitely. The proportion of prisoners whose profiles are not on the database is therefore likely to be very small.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many successful matches there have been between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and those stored on the national DNA database in each of the last two years.

Mr Nick Hurd: In 2016-17 there were 31,743 matches between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and subject records stored on the National DNA DatabaseIn 2017-18 there were 30,780 matches between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and subject records stored on the National DNA Database.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to update the Shortage Occupation List; if she will update that list more frequently than once every 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviews the Shortage Occupation List when commissioned to do so by the Government.The MAC has carried out two full reviews and four partial reviews of the Shortage Occupation List since May 2010. The MAC recently reviewed the teaching sector and published its report in January 2017, alongside an updated methodology on assessing labour market shortages, and published a review of nursing in March 2016.Further information about the MAC’s methodology and the reviews it has carried out are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the mobile application for the registration of EU nationals for after the UK leaves the EU will be available in languages other than English.

Caroline Nokes: We have established user groups to discuss the development of a scheme for EU citizens to apply for settled status. This includes the design of the Rules, guidance and systems; testing them as they are developed; understanding the range of user needs; and our plans for communications about the Scheme to ensure EU citizens understand what they need to do.We are conscious of the need to ensure the application process is straightforward and accessible, including language needs, particularly of vulnerable groups.We will be setting out more detail in the coming months.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultations his Department is holding with trade unions to raise awareness among EU nationals in their workplaces of the (a) need and (b) process to apply for settled status.

Caroline Nokes: It is vital that the over three million non-UK EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply under the settlement scheme. That is why the Home Office has already launched a national ‘stay informed’ awareness campaign to set out EU citizens’ rights after the UK leaves the EU and to point towards reliable sources of information, including official emails from the government.Further comprehensive communications activity is planned in line with the roll-out of the settlement scheme later this year, including a multi-channel advertising campaign tailored to reach EU citizens. In addition, we have a well-established programme of stakeholder engagement, including businesses and EU citizens’ representatives – and will ensure trade unions, regional and employer organisations, associations and trade bodies are fully involved.

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rochdale dated 22 March 2018 on the Immigration Health Surcharge, reference number IW/0045.

Caroline Nokes: I responded to the hon. Member’s correspondence on 10 May 2018.

Immigration: Married People

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to issue guidance to UK citizens who are living with non-EU spouses in the UK under the Surinder Singh principle on their residence rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK citizens with non-EU born spouses who have returned to the UK from another EU Member State under the Surinder Singh principle.

Caroline Nokes: We have reached an agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights that will protect those EU citizens and their family members who are lawfully resident in the UK by 31 December 2020. We will introduce a new settlement scheme under UK law for EU citizens and their family members to secure their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.Although not covered by citizens rights’ agreement with the EU, it is our intention that family members of UK nationals who have exercised their free movement rights in another EU Member State before returning to the UK before 31 December 2020, as per Surinder Singh case law, will be eligible to apply for the UK’s settlement scheme. We will provide details in advance of the scheme opening on the eligibility of those who benefit from the Surinder Singh judgment to apply for the settlement scheme.Currently, non-EU born spouses of British citizens returning to the UK from another EU member state under the Surinder Singh judgment are not required to apply for a right of residence and therefore no estimate of numbers is available.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people detained under section 13 of the Mental Health Act 1983 were held in police cells in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) Liverpool City Region and (d) England in each in of the last two years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of persons detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, at police force area level only.These data were collected on a mandatory basis for the first time in 2016/17, and are published as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017Table MHA.05c of the accompanying data tables show that, in 2016/17, nobody was detained in a police station following a section 136 detention in the Merseyside police force area. In England, 898 people in total were detained in a police station following a section 136 detention.Figures for 2015/16 were published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and can be accessed using the following links:http://www.npcc.police.uk/documents/S136%20Data%202015%2016.pdf.

Prince Harry: Marriage

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to question 135723, on Prince Harry: Marriage,  whether Thames Valley Police have submitted an application to her Department for Special Grant funding for additional costs associated with policing the royal wedding.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office is working with Thames Valley Police to support the policing operation around the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms Markle. The Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner has not applied for Special Grant funding at this point, but any such application will be considered carefully.

UK Border Force: Armed Forces Covenant

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 140136 on UK Border Force: Northern Ireland, whether the UK Border Agency (a) supports the Military Covenant and (b) recognises its UK-wide applicability.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is in full support of the Military Covenant and its application across the UK.

Educational Testing Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department took to validate allegations made by ETS that individuals had cheated in their Test of English for International Communication; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Further to PQ 140550, a number of steps were taken to ensure that the ETS process for declaring test results invalid was suitably robust. This included commissioning an independent expert report from a leading Professor of Forensic Speech Science which concluded that the number of false matches would be very small, and that the system used were more likely to produce false negatives than false positives.Where a result was marked as questionable, nobody was refused immigration leave on that basis without first being given the opportunity to re-sit a test with another provider or attend an interview.

Educational Testing Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department (a) met representatives of ETS between May 2010 and February 2014 and (b) have met such representatives since February 2014.

Caroline Nokes: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:https://data.gov.uk/dataset/2eac556f-f2d3-4e84-8230-ca5b7cd9e428/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations-in-home-office

Undercover Policing Inquiry

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Strategic Review into the Undercover Policing Inquiry, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of appointing panel members to assist the Chairman prior to the commencement of Module One hearings.

Mr Nick Hurd: Prior to the publication of the Strategic Review by Sir John Mitting on 10 May 2018, consideration was given to the appointment of panel members to the Undercover Policing Inquiry. A decision was taken by the previous Home Secretary to continue with a single Chair and to keep the inclusion of panel members under review as the Inquiry progresses.

Visas: Scotland

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tier 2 visas were awarded to licensed sponsors based in Scotland for each month from December 2016 to April 2018.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tier 2 visas were awarded to licensed sponsors based in England for each month from December 2016 to April 2018.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tier 2 visas were awarded to licensed sponsors based in London for each month from December 2016 to April 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The specific information requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office. The number of Tier 2 visas awarded to licensed sponsors can be found on the Home Office website. Published data on Tier 2 Visas can be found in the immigration statistics release.The available published Tier 2 information relates to outcomes (grants, refusals, withdrawn, lapsed) of visa applications, broken down by visa type (including Tier 2 skilled visas) and is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what processes her Department has in place to monitor the delivery and spending of UK aid in the Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: As for all DFID programmes, officials regularly monitor and review our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to ensure they are delivering results and that UK aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and achieves the best development outcomes, with a strong focus on ensuring value for money for the UK taxpayer. The processes in place include comprehensive annual reviews and project completion reports. These reviews are available on the DFID Development Tracker at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. DFID has due diligence assessment processes to provide assurance over the expenditure of our funds, and DFID’s project spending in the OPTs is subject to annual, independent financial audit. The overall programme is also subject to the regular audit cycle of DFID’s Internal Audit Department and the National Audit Office. DFID has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and has robust controls against diversion of aid to terrorist groups.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department works in cooperation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that UK aid to the Palestinians facilitates peace-building with Israel.

Alistair Burt: Our financial assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territories helps to maintain stability and is underpinned by HMG’s long-standing objective that the only way to allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace is through a negotiated two-state solution. As joint-Minister for the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, I ensure that my officials liaise closely to deliver development programmes in support of a two-state solution which requires collaborating equally with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Internally Displaced People: Departmental Coordination

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will develop a cross-departmental strategy for the UK’s approach to supporting the (a) prevention of, (b) protection of and (c) solution to the increasing number of internally displaced people around the world.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is strongly committed to meeting the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs). We published a new Humanitarian Reform Policy in October last year which includes a focus on forced displacement and measures that are relevant for mitigating and responding more effectively to displacement. We believe our primary focus should now be at the global level to press for a more effective international response. For example, several UN Member States, including the UK, are now actively exploring options with the UN – including the idea of launching a UN High Level Panel on Internally Displaced Persons, which presents one way of galvanising greater political and operational attention and action on IDPs.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: Civil Servants in the Scotland Office play a central role working with Cabinet Office to provide formal and informal advice across Whitehall on devolution and intergovernmental relations. We also participate in various devolution focussed events including the Devolution and You programme, Devolution Learning Week and the Civil Service Interchange programme. Civil servants new to the department also have access to a wide range of central Civil Service learning opportunities on devolution and intergovernmental relations. We do not hold exact numbers of staff who have attended these courses. In addition, each nation of the UK leads and hosts an annual SCS conference to learn from each other and build networks across the Policy Profession. These have been held on 28/29 April 2016 in Cardiff, 20/21 April 2017 in Belfast (this included Irish Government Civil Servants too) and 26/27 April 2018 in Edinburgh. It will be for England to host in 2019. All of these events each have around 100 participants across the administrations.

Scotland Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civil servants are so provided for.

David Mundell: No civil servants in the Scotland Office have an official car or driver.

Scotland Office: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

David Mundell: Two bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working in the Scotland Office at a total cost of £20,000.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Internet

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of  29 March 2018 to Question 132881 on Government Departments: Internet, if he will publish the data for each publication from his Department in the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: Information on Cabinet Office ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and external meetings is published quarterly. To date, the page views for each set of data are as follows: January – March 2017 1976April – June 2017 2401July – September 2017 1636October – December 2017 622  https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

Cabinet Office: Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135322, on Government Departments: Interserve, how many of the meetings with Cabinet Office officials were with Crown Representatives.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office Officials met with the company 11 times within the last six months. The Crown Representative attended 9 of these meetings.

Lung Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) age and (b) gender of people diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 71.4 KB)

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Expenditure over £25,000 - March 2018, published on 2 May 2018, for what parts of the grants efficiency accelerator programme the payments to Ernst & Young were made.

Chloe Smith: Ernst & Young (EY) were successful through a procurement process to deliver Phase 1 of the Grants Efficiency Accelerator, which aims to validate risk in general grants administration and realise efficiency savings. EY worked as part of a blended team with the Cabinet Office Grants Function and provided flexible access to the expertise and capabilities required to deliver this work at pace. This included fraud and data experts as well as economic data modelling and programme delivery specialists.

Unemployment: Hearing Impairment

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people with hearing impairments who are (a) unemployed and (b) not in training or further education.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 93.05 KB)

Public Records: Digital Technology

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 74 of the Government Response to the 30 Year Rule Review, whether the review of the strategy for managing digital records has taken place.

Chloe Smith: The Review of Government Digital Records was completed by Sir Alex Allan in December 2015 and published on GOV.UK –https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-records-and-archives-review-by-sir-alex-allan

Unemployment: Dyslexia

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people with dyslexia who are (a) unemployed and (b) not in training or further education.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Response 
(Word Document, 29.27 KB)

Public Service Ombudsman Bill (Draft)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to bring forward the Public Service Ombudsman Bill.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. Member to previous answers 119692 and 119693.The Government published the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill in December 2016, setting out in detail its plans to introduce a new Public Service Ombudsman.The draft Bill will be progressed as and when a legislative opportunity arises.

Government Departments: Email

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to ensure encryption is provided on all email between  hon. Members' offices and Government departments.

Chloe Smith: The National Cyber Security Centre published guidance on email security in September 2017, including specific directions for public sector users at OFFICIAL.https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/email-security-and-anti-spoofingGovernment departments are to encrypt emails to a level appropriate to the content and classification of that communication.The Cabinet Office cannot, however, speak for the security of emails sent by Hon. Members from non-government email systems, as this is dependent on which system and service an email is sent.

Public Sector: Land

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times his Department's Government Property Finder has been used in the last twelve months.

Oliver Dowden: The Government Property Finder tool allows you to search the Government property and land available to rent or buy. It allows you to search by location and department.There have been 16,872 individual property and land searches on the Government Property Finder website in the last 12 months.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on 9 May 2018, which providers outside the UK are being examined and for which contracts.

Oliver Dowden: Departments are encouraged to maximise competition in order to achieve value for money. Public procurement are required to go through fair and open competition and procurers are not permitted to discriminate based upon the nationality of the supplier.In addition, through the Commercial Operating Standards https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567659/Commercal_Standards_new.pdf, departments are encouraged to maximise competition by designing service requirements that are accessible to as many suppliers as possible, including those from overseas.The current public procurement rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations. The longer-term opportunities for UK Government procurement regulations are being considered carefully.

Cancer

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the five most common cancer diagnoses were among (a) men and (b) women in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2017.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Greg Hands: As part of EU Parliamentary Scrutiny awareness raising and training across the department, the EU Trade Policy team have held internal training sessions on EU Parliamentary Scrutiny. Events were open to all grades of staff including fast streamers. Approximately 30 staff attended each of the sessions.The Department for International Trade also offers a range of training sessions on the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament to all members of staff. This has included specific training on secondary legislation processes as part of a ‘Secondary Legislation Awareness Week’ in February 2018, and other sessions that were included in Parliament Week in November 2017. The Department offers training as part of its ‘Delivering for Ministers’ programme and delivers bespoke training for teams on request.Detailed records of attendance at training sessions on parliament are not held centrally by the department, but over 300 people have attended such sessions since the Department’s formation in July 2016. Attendance has not been broken down by grade.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to strengthen the UK’s trade relationship with Israel in medical research and development.

Graham Stuart: I refer the hon Member for Strangford to the answer I gave to the hon Member for North Antrim on 14 February 2018, UIN 127029.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage and facilitate trade cooperation between the UK and Israel in the agricultural technology sector.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon Member for Strangford to the answer given to him by the then Minister of State for Investment (Mark Garnier MP) on 7 July 2017, UIN:2645.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming Machines

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the effect of a £2 maximum stake on B2 gaming machines on the number of (a) betting shop jobs that would potentially be lost and (b) betting shops that would potentially close.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the potential switch from fixed odds betting terminals to online gambling if a £2 maximum stake is introduced.

Tracey Crouch: The consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January and the responses are being considered. The Government’s response will be published in due course with a revised final impact assessment.

Commercial Broadcasting: Radio

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement commercial radio deregulation.

Margot James: The commercial radio deregulation consultation closed on 8 May 2017 and the government response was published on 18 December 2017. The next phase is for DCMS to begin the detailed work to develop the new legislative structure and to bring forward legislation prior to analogue licenses coming up for renewal in 2022. Legislation will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Margot James: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay. This information can be found on the department’s website and on data.gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-for-the-appraisal-year-2015-to-2016. Information for future years will be published in the usual way.

Television: Licencsng

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue to the public purse as a result of television licence fee evasion in (a) 2012 and (b) 2017.

Margot James: We do not hold this information. The BBC is responsible for the administration, collection and enforcement of the licence fee regime.​

Social Media: Radicalism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings he has had with leading social media companies to discuss the prevalence, removal and prevention of hate speech and other extreme content on social media platforms.

Margot James: Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media companies on a range of issues including the removal of hate speech and extreme content. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

Public Libraries: Standards

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of whether local authorities providing unstaffed public libraries using open technology are fulfilling their duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service.

Michael Ellis: Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. In considering how best to deliver this statutory duty, each local authority is responsible for determining local needs and delivering a modern and efficient library service that meets the requirements of their communities within available resources. The Department encourages local authorities to make appropriate use of the expertise of library staff and available technology to support and enhance the delivery of their library services. The use of technology to allow access to a library outside of staffed hours would not of itself mean that a local authority is failing in its duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is important that the local authority strikes a suitable balance between the provision of staffed and self-service library services to provide a comprehensive and efficient service overall.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Democratic Unionist Party

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department held with representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party prior to the proceedings on the Data Protection Bill [Lords] in the House on 9 May 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 9 May 2018, Official Report, column 712, for what reason he proposed a separate review of press standards in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 9 May 2018, Official Report, column 712, what steps he is taking to consult on the terms of reference of the review of press standards in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 9 May 2018, Official Report, column 712, what criteria will be applied for the appointment of the named person to review press standards in Northern Ireland; by whom that criteria will be applied; and if he will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: Ministerial meetings with colleagues/MPs are not normally detailed. We have amended the Data Protection Bill to place a requirement on the Information Commissioner to conduct a statutory review of the media’s compliance with the new data protection legislation over the next four years. The Commissioner's final report must include specific consideration of the extent of compliance in each part of the United Kingdom. Alongside that review, we propose to have a named person review journalistic compliance with data protection rules in Northern Ireland in four years' time. This approach, details of which will be finalised in due course, reflects the fact that while data protection is reserved, press regulation is devolved

Department for Exiting the European Union

Security: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 139996 on Security: Northern Ireland, if he will place in the Library copies of the redacted minutes of his briefings with (a) PSNI officers and (b) Northern Ireland Office officials during his visit to Northern Ireland of 23 April 2018.

Mr Steve Baker: The Secretary of State meetings with PSNI Officers and Northern Ireland Office officials relate to matters concerning our exit from the EU. Release of this information while our exit from the EU is ongoing would indicate sensitive information relating to the negotiations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that could undermine our negotiating position.

Ports: Greater London

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he or Ministers of his Department have made an official visit to the Port of London since July 2016.

Suella Braverman: Ministers from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit - with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and in all parts of the UK, including representatives from UK ports. Lord Bridges, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, made an official visit to the Port of Tilbury, in October 2016. Details of ministerial meetings are published in the Department's Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Ports

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which of the UK’s ports (a) he and (b) other Ministers in of his Department have visited since July 2016.

Suella Braverman: Ministers from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit - with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and in all parts of the UK, including representatives from UK ports. Details of DExEU Ministerial visits to UK ports since July 2016 are as follows: October 2016, Lord Bridges, Port of TilburyNovember 2016, Lord Bridges, Port of FelixstoweDecember 2016, David Jones, Port of SouthamptonDecember 2016, David Jones, Port of LiverpoolJuly 2017, Robin Walker, Poole HarbourSeptember 2017, Robin Walker, Belfast HarbourJanuary 2018, David Davis and Suella Braverman, TeesportMarch 2018, Suella Braverman, Port of SouthamptonMay 2018, Suella Braverman, Port of Dover Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department's Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK. The next set of Transparency Returns will be released in June.